Royal HaskoningDHV wins major tunnel contract for Brazil’s largest port

Royal HaskoningDHV has been contracted for an immersed tunnel of more than 500 metres for Brazil’s largest seaport in Santos. The contract is worth 5 million euro.

The tunnel will directly link the cities of Santos and Guarujá located on either side of the fairway leading to Brazil’s most important port.

The advice provided by the engineers was instrumental in the decision by authorities in São Paulo to opt for an immersed tunnel. A bridge was ruled out because of the costs and the adverse impact on the city. The tunnel will relieve the burden on the existing passenger ferry services and significantly reduce driving time for freight vehicles, that must currently make a detour of 50 kilometres when travelling to and from the port.

First for Brazil

The technology required for immersed tunnels is highly developed in the Netherlands and has been used for projects in the Netherlands including the Second Coen Tunnel (Amsterdam), the Second Benelux Tunnel (Rotterdam) and two tunnels in the route of the HSL-Zuid high-speed rail link. Immersed tunnels are also under construction at various other places in the world. The Brazilian authorities (via the government agency DERSA) selected the experienced Dutch engineers because this is the first such tunnel in Brazil. Royal HaskoningDHV will lead the design process and oversee its content.

Tunnel expertise

Royal HaskoningDHV and Witteveen+Bos have been partnering in major international tunnel projects for 25 years in a partnership called Tunnel Engineering Consultants (TEC). Current immersed tunnel projects include the Fehmarnbelt between Denmark and Germany (19 km tunnel), the Busan-Geoje Link in South Korea (3.4 km), the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Link in China (6 km) and the Coatzacoalcos tunnel in Mexico (1.5 km).